Twan van Lieshout
Ozone Team Rider and Owner of http://www.vietnamkitesurfingtours.com/
We we’re lucky to recieve the first 09 Instincts 1st week in Jan. The fourth generation of the Instinct series is definately something special! Where to start to give a good impression? People who have been riding Instincts the last couple of years for sure have noticed that build in Instinct feeling so the big question was does it have that on 4 lines? The answer is YES, Its still there 4 lines, easy and clean set up and the same feeling, jippie!
First one I tried was the 9m Sport +, lots of changes this year and the graphics look sick .The kite itself is super clean and rigid! So for the Sport + the bar feeling is way better now ,always good feel where the kite is and progressive feedback on the bar! Its even more easy to fly this year with I think a big + is the unhooked feeling! Not much pull on the bar anymore if you want to try newschool tricks. It has more power wich is easily controlable sheeting in and out.. the on and off feeling is gone. I have been riding the 11m most days now and its insane ! I reckon it has 15% more hangtime than previous models wich gives you enough time to do your tricks and land them !
The Light XC is a surpise also. No more flapping, turns on a dime and has plenty power! The kite looks super clean in the air and is fast with that same prgressive feeling on the bar. I’m looking forward getting this on out in the waves!
The Edge 11m … just took it out for a 15 min try! The jumps are even a bit longer and floatier than before! It’s still a fast flying kite with the same clean design as the Light and Sport . We are still waiting for one of those big wind days to take it out and see what extreme jumping potential it has this year !
Lots of people try the kites here and they all come back of the water with a big smile. Andre the russian about the 11m Edge: “This kite I like , very jump high and long” So for us in Vietnam we are all very stoked and pleased to ride the new kites ,easy is the word this year.
Enjoy! Twan In Vietnam
Paul Clayton
Vietnam Ozone Importer
“This is the first year i have not tested the kites with David so I was especially excited to try them and i was not dissapointed. I was amazed in the change to the light , higher aspect and redesigned it has loads of power and is great on the waves. The Sport is now a true freestyle machine, unhook and a smile comes from ear to ear, and now you can nail those new tricks with ease. The Edge has only been riden a bit as we are having super strong winds now but has the Edge feeling, super jumps and very quick, i can not wait to ride the 7m and 9 m “
Mike Holland
Ozone customer NZ Queenstown
Have just spent the past week riding the new 09’s in a variety of conditions here in Queenstown and have to say i’m very happy with the new kites! Like some I was sceptical about how much range a 4- line kite could give compared to previous 5-line models but my concerns dissolved on my first session. Here in Queenstown we rely on kites having instant relaunch and a wide wind range as some of our best spots are actually in the leeside of some of the country’s highest peaks! This is why the LIGHT XC is the only kite to use.
My favourite improvement for this year’s kite is the well balanced bar pressure, in previous models when the bar was sheeted out the kite had great de-power but very sloppy steering that left you sinking or dropping out of the sky. This new model has superb responsive steering fully sheeted out. In the past the only way to achieve this was to design a kite with less range to maintain brake line tension, but not on this kite! My second day on the kite I was faced with a 35 knot gale and only the 10m to test so out I went to battle! I was pleasantly surprised to be riding comfortably with all my friends who were out on ‘08 9m lights. They later informed me they were all fully lit, with cleats fully pulled down. Any doubts I may have had about the depower were put to rest at that moment. Riding the ‘09 10m in those conditions was a dream with such nice response through the bar and I got many jumps well over 10m high (see pics) that left me thinking “what could be done on an EDGE if this is the LIGHT!!!”
Many other new features have transformed the package as well, with a bar designed to be much more comfortable for unhooked tricks - the line slot, tube covered trim line and large diameter line unwinder are a dream to use.
I am more exited about these kites than I have been about any other in my 9 years in the sport, Ozone have left nothing to be wished for so we can all just shut up and get on with the job of progressing to the next trick or just having a lot of fun!
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